Seoul’s main Christmas market is the Gwanghwamun Market, part of the Seoul Winter Festa, which the city has tentatively set for 4 December 2026 to 31 January 2027. The organiser has announced the 2026 market for 4 to 31 December; last year it was free, 5pm to 10pm. Here in November? The Jamsil market at Lotte World Tower opened first last year, on 20 November.
Sunbae Says: Do Gwanghwamun on a weeknight between 5pm and 7pm, then walk ten minutes to Seoul Plaza and skate for 1,000 won. That is the best cheap night out in a Seoul December.
Picture it: dark by 5:30pm, you come up out of Gwanghwamun Station into cold air, the palace gate glows behind rows of stalls, and someone hands you a paper cup of something hot. Here is how to time it so you are not shuffling shoulder to shoulder.
Pick Your Market
Three real options and one rainy day backup, using last season’s verified details.
| Option | Best For | Cost | Time Needed | My Take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwanghwamun Market | The classic city square Christmas, palace views | Free entry (2025) | 1 to 2 hours | My pick. Pair it with the rink and the lanterns |
| Lotte Town Christmas Market, Jamsil | Trips before December, the giant tree and snow shows | Free before 4pm, 5,000 won after (2025) | 2 hours | Best November option, but book evening slots |
| Seoul Plaza Ice Rink | A cheap, very local night out | 1,000 won with skates and helmet | 1 hour | Do it. Few things in Seoul cost this little |
| The Hyundai Seoul, Yeouido | Freezing or wet days | Free to browse | 1 to 2 hours | Indoor backup only |
If you only do one, make it Gwanghwamun on a weeknight. If your trip ends before the festival opens, go to Jamsil and do not feel short changed.
The Gwanghwamun Market
Think of it as Seoul’s answer to a European Christmas market, set on Gwanghwamun Square with the palace gate and Bugaksan behind it. The city’s 2026 Gwanghwamun Market listing (in Korean) describes the same formula as before: a European Christmas market motif, small business stalls selling handmade goods and food, brand booths, holiday photo zones and free activities. The portal still just says December, but in May the Seoul Tourism Organization, which runs it, said the market and the Cheonggyecheon lanterns will run 4 to 31 December (Yonhap, in Korean). Hours are not out yet.
Last year was themed as a Santa Village. Visit Seoul’s 2025 listing gives 5pm to 10pm daily, free entry and more than 100 small businesses. The city’s own wrap up of the 2025 festival (in Korean) puts the final count at 135 sellers, and the whole Winter Festa at roughly 11 million visits over 24 days, about double the year before. The organiser counted 3.57 million visitors at the market itself, more than double the 1.64 million that Travie reported for 2024. Translation: it is popular, and it is getting more popular fast.
Worth It: early evening on a weekday, when the lights are on and you can actually reach the stalls.
Skip It: Christmas Eve and the Saturday before Christmas after 7pm. In Korea, Christmas is a couples’ holiday, and every couple in Seoul seems to be on that square. My Christmas in Seoul guide explains how the day itself works here.
[SUNBAE FIELD TEST: on a December weeknight, what time the Gwanghwamun Market queues for the carousel and food stalls start to build, and which end of the square is quieter]
[AFFILIATE: Agoda hotels near Gwanghwamun and City Hall]
The Seoul Winter Festa 2026
The market is one piece of a much bigger city festival. The official Seoul festival page (in Korean) lists 4 December 2026 to 31 January 2027, marked as tentative, at Gwanghwamun Square and six other sites:
| Programme | Where | What To Expect |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul Light Gwanghwamun | Gwanghwamun Square | Media facade, light sculptures, New Year countdown |
| Gwanghwamun Market | Gwanghwamun Square | Christmas stalls, food, photo zones, free activities |
| Seoul Light Cheonggyecheon | Cheonggyecheon stream | Light sculptures and media art along the water |
| Seoul Light DDP | Dongdaemun Design Plaza | Media facade, a Christmas town, New Year countdown |
| Seoul Plaza Ice Rink | Seoul Plaza, City Hall | Outdoor skating and an opening event |
| Bell Ringing Ceremony | Bosingak, Jongno | The New Year’s Eve bell and concerts |
| SeoulCon | DDP and other venues | K-beauty, awards and creator events |
Last season’s pattern is your best guide. The festival site (in Korean) still shows the 2025 timetable: Gwanghwamun Market 12 to 31 December, the lanterns 12 December to 18 January, Seoul Light DDP 18 to 31 December and the rink 19 December to 8 February. The bell on 31 December has its own guide: New Year’s Eve in Seoul. For the lanterns, see my Seoul Lantern Festival guide.
The Seoul Plaza Ice Rink
This is one of my favourite Seoul traditions. The city’s 2025 rink announcement (in Korean) confirms the price has been 1,000 won since the rink first opened in 2004, and that covers skates and a helmet, with knee pads free to borrow. According to the Seoul Plaza operation notice (in Korean), last season ran 19 December 2025 to 8 February 2026, 10am to 9:30pm Sunday to Friday and 10am to 11pm on Saturdays and public holidays. Booking was on the official rink site, seoulskate.kr. Expect a similar mid December opening.
Heads Up: It is an outdoor rink, and the city suspends skating for fine dust alerts, heavy snow or rain. Book online and you get a text if your session is cancelled; walk up and you just find a closed rink. Check the site on the day.
The Other Christmas Markets
Lotte Town Christmas Market, Jamsil. This is the one that opens first. VisitKorea’s listing shows the 2025 market ran 20 November to 4 January on Lotte World Tower’s World Park lawn, 11:30am to 10pm, with 52 brands, a heart light show, snow showers, a giant tree and a carousel. Entry was free before 4pm and 5,000 won after, with tickets through Naver booking. Stars and Stripes found a queue already forming at 4pm on a weekday, a long carousel line, last entry at 9:30pm, and food at about 5,000 to 15,000 won. Lotte had not announced 2026 dates when I checked; last year it announced on 19 November for a 20 November opening.
Heads Up: Korean media reported that the first batch of Lotte’s 2025 evening tickets sold out in about ten minutes. If you want the after dark snow show, book the moment dates drop, or go before 4pm when entry was free.
[AFFILIATE: Agoda hotels near Jamsil]
The Hyundai Seoul. Travie listed a Christmas market on the 5th floor of this Yeouido department store through 31 December last year. It is indoors, which makes it your bad weather card.
Seongsu, Ttukseom and the embassies. Last year brought small community markets in Seongsu and Ttukseom Hangang Park, plus one day embassy and school markets. Charming, but not worth crossing the city for.
Getting There
Gwanghwamun Market. Take Line 5 (purple) to Gwanghwamun Station. Visit Seoul lists Exit 9 as closest, about 180 m, roughly a 3 minute walk. From City Hall Station (Line 1 dark blue, Line 2 green) it is about a 10 minute walk north up the square.
Seoul Plaza Ice Rink. City Hall Station (Line 1 dark blue, Line 2 green) sits right under the plaza; check Naver Map for the best exit. From the market, walk south about 10 minutes.
Lotte Town Christmas Market. Line 2 (green) or Line 8 (pink) to Jamsil Station, Exit 10, then about 6 minutes on foot, per VisitKorea. From City Hall, Line 2 takes around 40 minutes with no transfer. A subway ride is 1,550 won on a transit card plus a small distance charge, or unlimited with a short term pass; my transit card guide explains which to buy, and the subway map shows the lines.
What Locals Know
It is a small business fair first. The Seoul Tourism Organization runs the Gwanghwamun Market partly to give small sellers a winter sales window, which is why the stalls lean towards crafts, snacks and gifts from Korean makers rather than imported German kitsch. The line up changes every year, so never rely on last year’s favourite stall.
Details drop late. Last year the full festival programme was announced around 23 November, less than three weeks before opening, and Lotte announced its market the day before it opened. If hours and stall lists are still missing when you read this, that is normal, not a sign of cancellation.
Koreans search in Korean. Type 광화문마켓 or 롯데타운 크리스마스마켓 into Naver Map or Naver search and you get real time photos, queue chatter and booking links days before the English pages update. My travel apps guide shows you how to search Naver without reading Korean.
Christmas Eve belongs to couples. Families do Christmas Day; Christmas Eve is date night, with restaurants booked weeks ahead. Plan your market night earlier in the week.
Pick Your Version
If It’s Your First Time
Do Gwanghwamun and the ice rink on the same weeknight, and come back another evening for the lanterns on Cheonggyecheon. If your trip ends before the festival opens, go to Jamsil instead. My Korea in December guide has the rest of your month.
If You’re Bringing Kids
I’d go to Jamsil in the afternoon, when entry was free last year, and let the kids see the tree and the carousel in daylight before the evening rush. Then do the Seoul Plaza rink on a weekday morning, when it is quieter. My Seoul with kids guide has indoor backups for very cold days.
If You’re Travelling Solo
Christmas markets are easy solo: you wander, you snack, nobody notices you are on your own. The one evening to avoid is Christmas Eve, when the square is couples wall to wall. My solo in Seoul guide covers the rest of your evenings.
Sunbae’s Picks
My pick for one December night: Gwanghwamun Market at 5pm on a Tuesday or Wednesday, a walk down to the Cheonggyecheon lanterns, and the ice rink to finish.
If I only had one November afternoon, I’d go to Jamsil before 4pm, then ride Line 2 (green) back into town for dinner.
I’d skip the smaller Seongsu and Ttukseom markets unless you are already staying nearby.
I’d skip Christmas Eve on the square entirely. Spend it somewhere warm with a reservation.
[SUNBAE STORY: a short, general memory of skating at Seoul Plaza on a December night with City Hall lit up, and what it says about how cheap and local Seoul’s winter fun can be]
Offers Worth Knowing
The Gwanghwamun Market was free last year, and the Seoul Plaza rink has cost 1,000 won, skates included, since 2004. The Jamsil market was free before 4pm last year. For getting around, the city confirms its 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 day short term passes continue (in Korean) even though the 30 day Climate Card has ended.
What’s Changing In 2026
An earlier start. The Winter Festa is tentatively set to open on 4 December, eight days earlier than last year’s 12 December. If you fly home before Christmas, that is good news: you may catch the lights you would have missed last year. The market itself is planned for 4 to 31 December, so it opens the same day.
Bigger crowds. Visits roughly doubled between 2024 and 2025, and the city wants to grow it into Korea’s flagship winter festival. My read: weekday early evenings matter more every year, and weekends after 7pm will be a slow shuffle.
What To Eat And Wear
You will be standing on a stone square after dark, and Seoul in December can be properly cold. Dress in layers with a hat and gloves; my full list is in the what to wear guide.
The stalls change every year, so I will not promise you a menu. Your fallback is the street food around Gwanghwamun and Jongno. A paper bag of 붕어빵 (bungeoppang) from a street cart is the correct Seoul answer to cold hands; my winter street food guide tells you what else to look for.
Word Of The Stop
뱅쇼 (baengsyo): mulled wine, borrowed from the French vin chaud. Once December arrives you will see it on café menus all over Seoul. Ask for “뱅쇼 한 잔 주세요” (baengsyo han jan juseyo), one mulled wine, please.
Map And Directions
- 1Gwanghwamun Market (Gwanghwamun Square) 광화문광장 광화문마켓5Gwanghwamun StationEXIT9
Main Christmas market, planned 4 to 31 Dec 2026 (organiser, May 2026); 2025 was 5pm to 10pm, free; go on a weeknight 5 to 7pm
- 2Seoul Plaza Ice Rink 서울광장 스케이트장City Hall StationCheck Naver Map for the exit
1,000 won with skates and helmet; 2025 season 19 Dec to 8 Feb; closes for fine dust, snow or rain; book on seoulskate.kr
- 3Lotte Town Christmas Market (Lotte World Tower World Park lawn) 롯데타운 크리스마스마켓Area pinJamsil StationEXIT10
Opened 20 Nov last year; 11:30am to 10pm; free before 4pm, 5,000 won after via Naver booking; evening slots sell out
- 4Cheonggyecheon (Seoul Lantern Festival) 청계천 서울빛초롱축제5Gwanghwamun StationEXIT5
Lanterns and media art along the stream during the Winter Festa; a 5 minute walk from the market
- 5Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) 동대문디자인플라자Dongdaemun History & Culture Park StationCheck Naver Map for the exit
Seoul Light DDP media facade and Christmas town; 2025 ran 18 to 31 Dec
- 6The Hyundai Seoul 더현대 서울Yeouido StationEXIT3
Indoor Christmas market on the 5th floor last year; your bad weather backup
Last Mile
- Gwanghwamun Station EXIT9 → Gwanghwamun Market about 3 min
- Gwanghwamun Market → Seoul Plaza Ice Rink about 10 min
- City Hall Station → Jamsil Station around 40 min
- Jamsil Station EXIT10 → Lotte Town Christmas Market about 6 min
Tap a button to open directions on your phone. In Korea, Naver Map and KakaoMap give full walking directions; Google Maps covers subway and bus but, as of September 2026, still has no turn by turn walking or driving here. Pins marked “Area pin” show a neighbourhood, not a door.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Is The Seoul Christmas Market 2026?
The Seoul Winter Festa is tentatively set for 4 December 2026 to 31 January 2027, and the organiser has announced the Gwanghwamun Market for 4 to 31 December. Hours were not published as of 5 October. Last year it ran 12 to 31 December, 5pm to 10pm.
Is The Gwanghwamun Christmas Market Free?
Yes, entry was free last year. You only pay for what you buy.
Where Is The Seoul Christmas Market?
On Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. Take Line 5 to Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 9.
Is There A Christmas Market In Seoul In November?
Last year, yes: the Lotte Town Christmas Market in Jamsil opened on 20 November. Check for 2026 dates and book evening entry early.
How Much Is The Seoul Plaza Ice Rink?
1,000 won, including skates and a helmet, a price unchanged since 2004. Last season it opened on 19 December.
Next Stop
- Christmas In Seoul 2026: how Koreans actually spend 24 and 25 December.
- Seoul Lantern Festival 2026: the Cheonggyecheon lanterns, a short walk from the market.
- New Year’s Eve In Seoul: the Bosingak bell and the countdown that close the festival.
Every confirmed date lands in the What’s On calendar.
Resources
- Fun Seoul festival portal: the city’s official listings for the Winter Festa and each programme (in Korean).
- Seoul Winter Festa site: programme pages and notices; updates closer to opening.
- seoulskate.kr: Seoul Plaza ice rink bookings and same day closure notices.
- Naver Map or KakaoMap: search 광화문마켓, 서울광장 스케이트장 or 롯데월드타워 for exits, walking routes and live reviews.
- 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: 24 hour tourist help in English and other languages.
- Dasan Call Center 120: Seoul city information line, including festival questions.
How I Checked This
On 5 October 2026 I checked the tentative Winter Festa window and the 2026 Gwanghwamun Market listing on the city’s festival portal, last season’s dates on the festival site, the 2025 results and rink rules on Seoul’s official news pages, the rink notice on the Seoul Plaza site, and the Jamsil market on VisitKorea and in Korean news. The 4 to 31 December market dates come from the organiser’s May announcement as reported by Yonhap; hours, the rink dates and the Jamsil market dates were not announced, so those are last year’s pattern.
Sources
- Fun Seoul: Winter Festa 2026 to 2027, tentative dates and programmes (Korean)
- Fun Seoul: 2026 Gwanghwamun Market listing (Korean)
- Seoul Winter Festa official site, 2025 timetable (Korean)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government: 2025 Winter Festa results (Korean)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government: 2025 Seoul Plaza ice rink, fee and inclusions (Korean)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government: 2025 Seoul Light Gwanghwamun and Gwanghwamun Market (Korean)
- Seoul Plaza: 2025 to 2026 ice rink operation notice (Korean)
- Seoul Shinmun: rink opening, hours and weather closures (Korean)
- Visit Seoul: 2025 Gwanghwamun Market, exit, sellers and fee
- VisitKorea: Lotte Town Christmas Market dates, hours, fees and exit
- Stars and Stripes: visiting the Lotte Town Christmas Market
- Travie: eight Seoul Christmas markets in 2025 and 1.64 million visitors
- Yonhap via MSN: 2026 market and lanterns set for 4 to 31 December (Korean)
- News1 via MSN: 3.57 million market visitors in 2025 (Korean)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government: Climate Card FAQ, short passes continue (Korean)
Written by your sunbae. 24 years living in Seoul, former Korean TV and radio presenter, university professor, and two decades behind the decks in the city’s clubs. Every fact here is checked against official sources and, wherever possible, on the ground.
Beep Check: verified 5 Oct 2026. Rules, prices and dates change; confirm with the official source before you travel.